Study Finds Fitbit Trackers Could Be Extremely Inaccurate

Trending News: Are The Stats From Your Fitbit Complete BS?

Why Is This Important?

Because it’s hard to be smug when you’re wearing a piece of junk on your wrist .

Long Story Short

Researchers at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona compared data from Fitbit devices to their own electrocardiogram (ECG) readings on the same subjects. They found that the fitness trackers were off by up to 20 heartbeats a minute during intensive workouts.

Long Story

The study looked at 43 healthy adults using Fitbit’s PurePulse heart rate monitoring technology, using the San Francisco-based, publicly-traded company’s Surge on one wrist and the Charge HR on the other. What it found was unsettling, at least for customers who purchased and swear by the products.

Looking at comparative rates from rest and after engaging in physical activities, including treadmill, jump rope, jogging and stair climbing, the study concluded that, “the PurePulse Trackers do not accurately measure a user's heart rate, particularly during moderate to high intensity exercise, and cannot be used to provide a meaningful estimate of a user’s heart rate.”

The study found that the more intensive the workout, the less accurate the Fitbit reading.

The company wasn’t buying it. In a statement obtained by Gizmodo, it called the study, “biased, baseless, and nothing more than an attempt to extract a payout from Fitbit. It lacks scientific rigor and is the product of flawed methodology.”

They may have a point. As NBC points out, the study was commissioned by Lieff Cabraser, the legal firm currently engaged in a class action lawsuit filed earlier this year against the company.

Fitbit’s statement continues: “[The study] was paid for by plaintiffs’ lawyers who are suing Fitbit, and was conducted with a consumer-grade electrocardiogram — not a true clinical device, as implied by the plaintiffs’ lawyers. Furthermore, there is no evidence the device used in the purported ‘study’ was tested for accuracy.”

It points to a Consumer Report investigation backing up the company’s claims.

At least one other study, carried out by Ball State University and Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR, found significant problems with Fitbit’s technology. The company said that its products are “not intended to be scientific or medical devices.”

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Does the fact that this study was paid for by lawyers affect its validity?